CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio — A man is in custody after police said he rammed into an officer’s vehicle twice and was in possession of narcotics and a gun in Circleville on Thursday.
While working on another investigation, Circleville police said officers noticed a suspicious vehicle lingering in the parking lot of Sheetz on South Court Street.
Officers approached the driver who refused to identify himself or give any information as to why he was in the parking lot.
According to police, officers noticed drug paraphernalia in the vehicle and ordered the driver out of the car. The driver rolled up his window and sped away from police through the Sheetz parking lot.
Officers believed the driver was about to flee from the car on foot when the car started slowing down. Due to the suspect’s previous actions and children in the area, an officer parked their cruiser in front of the driver’s vehicle to prevent it from hitting any bystanders.
Instead, police said the driver rapidly accelerated, hit the officer’s car and sped away. The driver started slowing down and stopped. The officer’s car that was hit caught up to the driver’s car and pulled in front of it. The driver rapidly accelerated and hitting the officer’s car again.
The driver refused to open the door and exit the car, leading to officers breaking the window to unlock the door and removing the suspect, 34-year-old Peter Hayes of Columbus.
A .22-caliber handgun was found on the floorboard by the brake and gas pedals, according to police. Officers also found 177.5 grams of Dimethyltryptamine, one gram of meth and one gram of fentanyl. Dimethyltryptamine, or DMT, is a hallucinogenic drug.
The street value of the drugs is estimated to be about $53,000.
Hayes was found to have multiple warrants for his arrest including possession of dangerous drugs, failure to appear and fleeing.
Hayes was taken to Pickaway County Jail and is charged with three counts of trafficking in drugs, three counts of possession of drugs, weapons under disability, improperly handling a weapon in a motor vehicle, two counts of felonious assault, vandalism and failure to comply.
One officer was treated for a possible fentanyl exposure while another was treated and released from a hospital for a head injury.
